Seal for treatment containers, especially for width of textile goods

ABSTRACT

A sealing system for sealing the inlet and outlet slots of treatment containers, especially for widths of textile goods, which includes two sealing beads which form a portion of two inflatable hoses closed at their ends and normally held in cylindrical rims or housing members which are arranged adjacent and parallel to each other and at their adjacent portions are provided with slotted sections bridged by the sealing beads. The sealing beads are respectively surrounded by flexible foils of wear-resistant material, which foils are adapted to be detachably clamped between the cylindrical rims and the pertaining hoses.

United States Patent Sonnen June 24, 1975 [541 SEAL FOR TRE TMENTCONTAINERS. 3.302.432 gvoolljatti 68/5 E w T XTILE 3.320.776 1 mo lSS yet a. 68/5 E gz g g FOR IDTH OF E 3.352.129 11/1967 Johnson 68/5 E3.367.151 2/1968 Fujihashi 68/5 E [75] Inventor: Rudolf Sonnen, KrcfeldGermany 3.593.901 7/1971 Ulrich VonDcr Ct 111. 68/5 E 3.645.116 2/1972Peter 68/5 E [73] Ass1gnee: Kletnewefers lndustrre Companle GmbH GermanyPrimary Examiner-Robert 1. Smith [22] Filed: June 20, 1974 Attorney.Agent, or FirmWalter Becker A sealing system for sealing the inlet andoutlet slots [30] Foreign Application Priority Data of treatmentcontainers. especially for widths of textile June 20. 1973 Germany2331367 g which includes two sealing beads which f a portion of twoinflatable hoses closed at their ends and [52] us. Cl 277/32; 68/5 E;34/242 normally h l in ylindrical rims or housing members 511 Int. Cl.D061 39/00; F16j 15/54 which are arranged adjacent and Parallel to eachother [58] Field of Search 277/32, 237; 68/5 E; and at their adjacentportions are provided with slot- 34/242 ted sections bridged by thesealing beads. The sealing beads are respectively surrounded by flexiblefoils of l 5 References Cited wear-resistant material, which foils areadapted to be UNITED STATES PATENTS detachably clamped between thecylindrical rims and 2.321.546 6/1943 Fryer ct .11. 34/242 the pertammghoses 3.170.576 2/1965 Frank 34/242 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures SHEETSEAL FOR TREATMENT CONTAINERS, ESPECIALLY FOR WIDTH OF TEXTILE GOODS Thepresent invention relates to a seal for sealing the inlet and outletslots of treatment containers, especially for width of textile goods,with two sealing beads extending over the length of said slots and whilethe goods to be treated are located between said sealing beads areyieldably pressed against each other, said sealing beads being held onparts of the container housing. While the invention is described inconnection with textile material, it is to be understood that it alsorelates to the sealing of pressure or gas containers for any type ofwebshaped goods.

Seals of the above mentioned type are generally known, but have thedrawback that the sealing bead sections which engage the width of goodsare exposed to considerable wear and thus have to be renewed withinrelatively short time intervals. Therefore, wearresistant covers in theform of wear-resistant foils have been applied to said beads so that itis merely necessary in case of wear to exchange said covers or foils.The exchange of such foils requires a complete disassembly and removalof the sealing head, a careful and time consuming new covering of thebeads, and a likewise time consuming installing of the sealing head intothe container housing. These steps not only cause high labor costs, butalso require a stoppage and thereby idling of the machine.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a sealof the above mentioned general type which will be simple inconstruction, and will permit an easy exchange of the foils or coversworn during their period of use.

In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide aseal as set forth in the preceding paragraph which will permit theexchange of the foils in a minimum of time.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a vertical section through the seal according to theinvention. I

FIG. 2 is a side view of the seal according to the invention.

FIG. 3 represents a longitudinal view with one end of the seal partiallysectioned.

The seal for sealing the inlet or outlet slot for treatment containers,especially of widths of textile goods, according to the invention, withtwo sealing beads which extend over the slot length while material to betreated is interposed between said sealing beads which are pneumaticallyor hydraulically pressed against each other, while said sealing beadsare held on parts of the container housing, is characterized primarilyin that the sealing beads include inflatable hoses which at their endsare closed by sealing discs with pressure fluid inlet and outletopenings, and also are adapted to be pulled out of parts of thecontainer housing in longitudinal direction. The housing parts whichhold the sealing beads consist primarily of cylindrical rims which areopen at their adjacent sections and at their ends and have a diametercorresponding to the diameter of the inflated hoses, while between saidhoses and said rims, wearresistant foils'are adapted to be clamped in.

The invention is based on the idea to form a cylindrical inflatable bodywhich is displaceable in a corresponding cylinderlike hollow body as apart of the housing of the container, said hollow body being open at theends and alongside. The hose inflated first can, when the inner pressuredecreases, be laterally pulled out of the cylindrical hollow body. Dueto said inflation, the clamping in of the leaf-shaped and wearresistantfoil between the inner side of the cylindrical hollow body and thecylindrical inflatable body, i.e. the hose will be assured. In otherwords, when the pressure drops, the hose can easily be withdrawn,whereas when the hose is subjected to the appropriate full pressure, thehose will be held in the rim and simultaneously without employingconnecting means, a firm clamping of the wear-resistant foil can be.effected. This also means that an exchange of the wear-resistant foilcan be carried out without exchanging the sealing head while the widthof the goods is between the seals.

According to a further development of the invention, the sealing discsare by spacer members held at a constant distance with regard to eachother whereby a hose-shaped inflated body is created which is uniformover its entire length. Between the sealing discs, strips of skid-shapedcross section may be arranged which at their curved edges leave a spacebetween these edges and the associated rim which space correspondsapproximately to the thickness of the hose. In this way, an unfavorabledeformation of the cross section of the hose will be avoided when thewidth of goods is pulled through between the wear-resistant foils onboth hoses.

The strips are provided with openings for the passage of the pneumaticor hydraulic inflating substance so that on both sides of theskid-shaped strips, substantially identical pressure conditions willexist.

According to a further development of the invention, the hose endsresting on the marginal portions of the discs are held by detachableclam'ping straps. The rims themselves are designed in the form of pipesor tubes which are open alongside and face each other with theirrespective longitudinal openings. These pipes are inserted inlongitudinal slots of parallel transversewalls of the double wall of thehousing.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the arrangement shown thereincomprises two vertical and parallel housing wall parts 1, 2 betweenwhich there are provided two parallel web-like wall sections 3, 4 whichmerge with the walls 5, 6 and 7,8 of the container housing. The innerside I of the container housing is in FIG. 1 located on the right-handside, whereas the outer atmospheric side A is located on the left-handside of the drawing in FIG. 1. The two wall sections 3,4 form an inlet Iand an outlet II respectively for widths of goods moved in the directionof the arrows 9. Between the wall parts 1, 2 there are furthermoreprovided two parallel pipe sections which are arranged at apredetermined distance from each other and which form the rims 10, 11.The end faces of said rims 10, 11 are at their end faces at 12 (FIG. 3)welded for instance to the walls 1, 2. A similar connection existsbetween the rims 10, 11 at 13 with the web-like wall sections 3. 4.

The rims l0, 11 are open at the two ends as will be evident from FIG. 3and have those regions thereof which are located opposite to each otherprovided with longitudinal openings l4, 15 which extend over the entirelength of said rims 10, 11, the length of said longitudinal openingsamounting to approximately A of the total circumference of the rims. Therims thus form troughs which are open at both ends and which at 13 areconnected to the parts 3,4 and at their ends at 12 are connected to thecorresponding housing wall parts.

Arranged within the cylindrical rims 10, 11 are hoses 16, 17 which havea round cross section and the ends of which are pulled over sealingdiscs 18 (FIG. 3). The bent over end sections 16a, 17a of the hoses areheld respectively by closure plates 19. Between the sealing discs 18respectively associated with a hose l6, 17 there is provided a tubularspacer member 20 and a skid-shaped strip 21 which will in any conditionassure a constant length of the sealing element formed by the hose. Thebent over longitudinal rims 22 of the strips leave relative to theinside of the rims l0, 1 l a distance which corresponds approximately tothe thickness of the hose 16, 17 and have that region thereof whichfaces the straight section extend parallel to the rim wall so that whenthe widths of goods pass through the seal in the direction of the arrows9, the hose 16, 17 will cross sectionwise not lose its approximatecircular shape, and a good sealing surface between the hoses will beformed in the openings 14, 15 while the hose is pressed over as large acircumferential surface as possible against the rim 10, 11. Theskid-shaped strips have a row of openings 23 through which compressedair may pass in a cross sectional chamber 24 which is formed between thestraight section of skid 21 and the hose section 16b, 17b.

One or two sealing discs 18 of a hose 16, 17 have an intake anddischarge opening 25 for the pressure me dium which is to be introducedinto the hose.

Between the hose l6, l7 and the rim 10, 11 there is placed a wearresistant foil 26, the length of which corresponds approximately to thespacing of the housing walls 1,2 from each other and the width thereofcorresponds approximately to the circumference of the inflated hose l6,17. The foil 26 is solely by the pressure of the hose 16, 17 heldagainst the inner side of the rims 10, 11 in its respective position.Simultaneously, the hoses l6, 17 at the level of the longitudinalopenings l4, 15 of rims l0, 11 will see to it that the two wearresistant foils 26 of both hoses l6, l7 sealingly engage the widths ofgoods (see arrow 9) while the sealing pressure may be varied inconformity with the pressure in the sealing hoses l6, 17 without thefoil disengaging the rim 10, 11.

The exchange of the wear resistant foils 26 is therefore simpler insofaras when reducing the pressure in the hoses 16, 17, these hoses maytogether with their wear-resistant foils be laterally pulled out fromrims 10, l l.

The ends of the hoses l6, 17 are by means ofa clamp strap 27 held on thesealing discs while the ends of said clamp strap are held by a screw 28with nut 29 and a counterbearing 30 with spring 31. For purposes ofpulling out the hoses l6, 17 with the wear-resistant foils 26, it ismerely necessary to loosen the clamp straps 27 at one hose end.

The cover plate 19 may be provided with wing nuts 33 which extendthrough a strip 34 and thus are able to connect the strip with the coverplate 19. Laterally provided on the wall parts 1 or 2 are adjustingplates 35 with which the ends 34 of the strip cooperate so that in thisway the cover plate 19 and the sealing discs 18 may be adjusted.

The wear-resistant foil 26 may be worn approximately over its entirewidth which is a considerable advantage over heretofore known seals,whereas in the drawing, the foil rims 26a are located opposite to theopenings 23 of the strip 21, the foil may successively be applied to thehose l6, 17 in such a way that for instance the rims will be located at26a, 2611", 260", etc. Between the ends 21a of the foils there is in amanner known per se inserted a seal gauge 36 which by means of screws 37is connected to the wall parts 1,2.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by nomeans. limited to thespecific showing in the drawings but also comprisesany modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in a treatment container having oppositely locatedside walls with an inner slot and an outlet slot respectively forintroducing a width of goods into and withdrawing it from saidcontainer, and also having oppositely located end walls, a pair ofsubstantially cylindrical rim means having their ends supported bysomeof said walls and being arranged in substantially parallel adjacentrelationship to each other, those peripheral portions of said rim meanswhich in the longitudinal direction thereof are adjacent to each otherbeing provided with slot means facing each other, two inflatable hosesrespectively located in said rim means and approximately parallely toeach other bridging the respective pertaining slot means while acrosssaid slot means forming yieldable sealing bead means adapted to receivetherebetween the width of goods to be treated, sealing disc meansarranged at substantially the ends of said hose means and tightlyclosing the pertaining ends of said hose means, wear-resistant flexiblefoil means respectively having an inner contour substantiallycorresponding to the outer contour of said hoses, and while beinginterposed between the pertaining rim means and the respectivepertaining hose surrounding the latter, and conduit means respectivelyleading into and out of said hoses for selectively and respectivelyintroducing a pressure medium into and releasing it from said hoses.

2. A combination according to claim 1, in which the overall inner widthof said wear-resistant foil means corresponds substantially to theoverall outer width of the pertaining hose, and in which the length ofeach of said wear-resistant foils at least approximately equals thedistance between said end walls.

3. A combination according to claim 1, which includes spacer meansinterposed and fitted between said sealing disc means to maintain aconstant distance therebetween.

4. A combination according to claim I, which includes two strip means ofskid-shaped cross section respectively interposed between the sealingdiscs pertaining to said hoses, each of said strip means having acentralportion substantially parallel to but spaced from those hosesections which are adjacent to each other and bridge the respectivepertaining slot means, each of said strip means also having curvedlateral sections curving away from the ends of the respective centralportion and the respective adjacent hose portions, so that the spacebetween said curved lateral sections and the adjacent rim portions is atleast equal to the thickness of the pertaining hose.

5. A combination according to claim 4, in which said central portions ofsaid strip means are provided with hoses onto the pertaining sealingdiscs.

7. A combination according to claim 1, in which said side walls areprovided with inwardly bent sections defining said inlet and outletslots and supporting said rim means. i

8. A combination according to claim 1, in which the width of said slotmeans equals approximately A of the circumference of one of said rimmeans.

1. In combination in a treatment container having oppositely locatedside walls with an inner slot and an outlet slot respectively forintroducing a width of goods into and withdrawing it from saidcontainer, and also having oppositely located end walls, a pair ofsubstantially cylindrical rim means having their ends supported by someof said walls and being arranged in substantially parallel adjacentrelationship to each other, those peripheral portions of said rim meanswhich in the longitudinal direction thereof are adjacent to each otherbeing provided with slot means facing each other, two inflatable hosesrespectively located in said rim means and approximately parallely toeach other bridging the respective pertaining slot means while acrosssaid slot means forming yieldable sealing bead means adapted to receivetherebetween the width of goods to be treated, sealing disc meansarranged at substantially the ends of said hose means and tightlyclosing the pertaining ends of said hose means, wear-resistant flexiblefoil means respectively having an inner contour substantiallycorresponding to the outer contour of said hoses, and while beinginterposed between the pertaining rim means and the respectivepertaining hose surrounding the latter, and conduit means respectivelyleading into and out of said hoses for selectively and respectivelyintroducing a pressure medium into and releasing it from said hoses. 2.A combination according to claim 1, in which the overall inner width ofsaid wear-resistant foil means corresponds substantially to the overallouter width of the pertaining hose, and in which the length of each ofsaid wear-resistant foils at least approximately equals the distancebetween said end walls.
 3. A combination according to claim 1, whichincludes spacer means interposed and fitted between said sealing discmeans to maintain a constant distance therebetween.
 4. A combinationaccording to claim 1, which includes two strip means of skid-shapedcross section respectively interposed between the sealing discspertaining to said hoses, each of said strip means having a centralportion substantially parallel to but spaced from those hose sectionswhich are adjacent to each other and bridge the respective pertainingslot means, each of said strip means also having curved lateral sectionscurving away from the ends of the respective central portion and therespective adjacent hose portions, so that the space between said curvedlateral sections and the adjacent rim portions is at least equal to thethickness of the pertaining hose.
 5. A combination according to claim 4,in which said central portions of said strip means are provided withpassage means establishing communication between the interior of therespective hose and the space between the respective central portion andthe adjacent hose portion bridging the slot means of the pertaininghose.
 6. A combination according to claim 1, in which the ends of saidhoses rest on marginal portions of the pertaining sealing discs, andwhich includes detachable clamping means detachably clamping said endsof said hoses onto the pertaining sealing discs.
 7. A combinationaccording to claim 1, in which said side walls are provided withinwardly bent sections defining said inlet and outlet slots andsupporting said rim means.
 8. A combination according to claim 1, inwhich the width of said slot means equals approximately 1/4 of thecircumference of one of said rim means.